Timaru Hospital
Timaru Hospital is a 131-bed facility providing a range of inpatient, outpatient and community secondary services to the people of the South Canterbury region. The hospital provides 24/7 acute medical, surgical and maternity services, Assessment, Treatment & Rehabilitation (AT&R) services for older persons and a number of tertiary services through visiting clinicians.
For information about careers at Timaru Hospital, click here.
The hospital has achieved accreditation to stringent Quality Health New Zealand standards for the fourth successive time since 2001. The accreditation process requires evidence of continuous quality improvement, which Timaru Hospital demonstrated.
Timaru Hospital’s outputs and resources in 2010/11 will include:
• 12,000 hospital discharges
• 71,000 outpatient attendances
• 15,450 emergency department attendances
• 68,000 visits to homes and schools
• 650 FTE staff (about 850 people)
• $29 million of assets (land, buildings and plant)
• $82 million operating expenditure
Medical & Specialty Services
Medical services are mainly general medicine with resident sub-specialty interests in gastroenterology, rheumatology and endocrinology. Visiting specialist clinics are also provided in neurology, cardiology, renal medicine and dermatology.
• Assessment, Treatment & Rehabilitation ward – 24 beds
• Emergency Department
• Intensive and Cardiac Care Unit (level 4-5) – 7 beds
• Jean Todd Maternity Unit –11 beds
• Medical Ward – 24 beds
• Paediatric Ward (includes level 2 neonatal unit) – 10 beds
• District Nursing Service
Surgical & Operative Services
Surgical services include both elective services and a 24-hour district trauma service supported by 24-hour specialist cover in general surgery, orthopaedics and gynaecology. Ophthalmology, ORL/ENT, oral and dental surgery also is provided, as are visiting oncology services.
• Surgical Ward – 40 beds
• Operating Theatres (4)
• Anaesthetics
• Day Patient Services 
Psychiatric Services
Assessment, diagnosis, treatment and care is provided for people who are suffering from a short-term mental illness (or acute exacerbation of a long-term illness) or substance abuse.
• Alcohol & Other Drug Service (A&OD)
• Child & Adolescent Psychiatric Service
• Community Psychiatric Service
• Kensington Centre inpatient unit – 15 beds
Clinical Support Services
• Audiology
• Elective Services Booking Office
• Dietetics
• Infection Control
• Laboratory
• Nurse Educators (cardiac, respiratory and diabetes)
• Occupational Therapy
• Orthotics
• Outpatients Department
• Persistent Pain Service
• Physiotherapy
• Pharmacy
• Public Health Nursing Service
• Radiology (including ultrasound, fluoroscopy, tomography, IVU and CT scan)
• Social Work Services
• Speech Language Therapy